5 types of paid telegram channels you can live off of

Hi all! My name is Sergey Begansky, I’m the marketing director of Paywall, a content monetization service based on the subscription model in Telegram. We help bloggers and experts to earn on copyright materials, training and community. According to our data, the authors of paid telegram projects on average earn from 30-50 thousand rubles a month on content that was previously given away on social networks for free.

We have analyzed the most popular content projects of our authors – I share the five most successful areas for monetization in the messenger.

1. Exclusive content

The scheme is simple: basic content is published for free in the main channel, and extended materials and more useful publications are offered by subscription. This monetization option is suitable for everyone: large media outlets, small teams and single professionals.

For example, English teacher Svetlana Orlova first created a free telegram channel for fellow tutors, posted her lessons and methodological developments there. People liked the product and she decided to monetize it. She launched the paid channel “Unified State Examination Cookbook”, transferred some of the author’s materials there and now earns about 70,000 rubles a month on this.

For 490 rubles per month, Svetlana's subscribers get access to the analysis of topics, lesson options and other author's developments — *For 490 rubles per month, Svetlana’s subscribers get access to the analysis of topics, lesson options and other author’s developments*

Svetlana is paid for the knowledge she shares. But a paid channel can also be built on other content: news, entertainment. There is so much information around that it is not always clear what is useful and what is not. Therefore, it is easier for people not to waste time searching, but to pay an expert who has already selected the highest quality and most relevant materials.

The main advantage of exclusive content is that only you submit it. Therefore, it can be packaged as you like, the benefit will still be and they will come for it. Depending on the subject of the channel, these can be astrological forecasts, market analytics, video reports, manuals, checklists, templates.

2. Expert advice

If you consult clients offline or online, you can partially transfer the work to Telegram. It is convenient to conduct streams in it, answer questions by text or voice, conduct full-fledged video meetings with subscribers with a speaker and a presentation.

*An investment expert for 500 rubles a week advises subscribers on which securities to buy and which to sell*

Typical formats for subscription consultations:

Analysis of the most common subscriber problems. For example, an HR can tell you which phrases on your resume prevent you from finding a job. And the advertising expert will show how marketers make mistakes in retargeting settings.
Communication in the format “participant’s situation – expert’s analysis”. The consultant can reply directly below the messages of subscribers. Or collect requests once a week, publish each in a separate post and chat in the comments. An archive of answers to questions is gradually being collected, which can be useful for all participants.
Personal consultations. For example, when subscribing, a user gets not only access to expert materials, but also the right to two one-on-one online meetings with a specialist per month.

The scheme is suitable for companies and experts who consult in B2B and B2C. If you are bombarded with questions on social networks, transfer the audience to Telegram.

*Even psychologists can consult on Telegram. Danila Dunaev analyzes situations in the daniladunaevprivate channel and answers questions from subscribers*

Note to doctors: give your neighbors a link to a paid channel so that they don’t burst into your apartment with the words “just ask me.”

*This is how a pediatric doctor monetizes his consultations*

3. Training courses

By subscription, they actively sell educational content: individual lessons and entire courses. If you already have an online school, you can completely transfer it to Telegram. Or use a paid channel only to sell additional materials. For example, photographer Marina Moko has a school where she teaches how to work with pictures, graphics and video. And mini-lessons that are not included in the main course are published in Telegram.

*Even with such an affordable subscription, Marina earned 300 thousand rubles a year*

Training in Telegram is convenient for both organizers and students, because there you can:

Not only publish lectures, video tutorials and checklists, but also answer students’ questions.
Provide a free trial period of 1-3 days so that the person has time to understand whether this course is right for him or not.
Recruit students for courses in batches. One stream paid for a subscription for three months, graduated and closed the subscription. We immediately open the course for the second stream, then for the third and so on.
Conduct studies on another platform familiar to the teacher, and create a closed paid chat for VIP students in Telegram

The field of study does not have to be as popular as courses in web design, marketing or English. You can teach anything – there is an audience for everything. Paywall’s clients include a materials science course, a calligraphy school, and even macrame courses.

*Set designer Lyubov created separate channels for different master classes and sells access to them for a one-time payment*

4. Club of like-minded people

People like to associate with those who have the same problems, interests and values. Therefore, subscription clubs quickly gather an audience that willingly pays for interesting leisure and involvement in a closed community. Different clubs work through Paywall: book, women’s, professional.

*In the club you can level up in the profession, meet interesting people and just have a good time*

The most unexpected topics come up. For example, the “Testers of Nature” club for children from 5 to 13 years old, parents and teachers gathered more than one hundred people at the start. Subscribers enjoy watching research videos, participating in streams, doing tasks and chatting.

*The organizers of the club “Testers of Nature” upload videos from nature in the club and move science to the masses*

In successful clubs, users quickly become active members of the community: they offer ideas, share their stories and advice. You can ask an expert or other participants a question and get a detailed answer. To increase the engagement of subscribers and the value of the club, the organizers conduct surveys, games, marathons.

Educational materials are also usually uploaded to the club; for easy search in the general flow of publications, they can be marked with hashtags. Subscribers like it when there is constant access to lessons. If you want to remember something, you can re-read or review it at any time.

5. Behind the scenes

It’s one thing when people see the result: a singer’s performance, a designer’s collection, an artist’s painting. And quite another is the “inner kitchen” of a project or a person. Many people are curious to look at the process from the inside, to get to know the idol better, to peep life hacks, to be inspired by ideas. In a private channel, you can post backstages, funny or useful working moments, live videos. When a popular author shares behind the scenes and reveals personal tricks, he becomes closer to the audience – fans appreciate it.

Many subscribers are traditionally collected by musicians, actors, bloggers and other creative people. They tell how rehearsals and shootings go, what happens in the dressing room.

Singer Alina Granovskaya has created a private channel for the release of her new album. But he has been active for more than a year - now Alina uploads the stories of creating songs, the first dictaphone recordings, behind-the-scenes footage from the studio and from rehearsals — Singer Alina Granovskaya has created a private channel for the release of her new album. But he has been active for more than a year – now Alina uploads the stories of creating songs, the first dictaphone recordings, behind-the-scenes footage from the studio and from rehearsals

Authors who do something with their hands can sell useful content in the same way. For example, you create designer furniture or clothes, bake cakes, renovate apartments, grow vegetables in your country house. In a private channel, you do not teach anything directly, but simply show the process of work. It will be of interest to both your customers and those who are engaged in similar activities.

Jeevaa design studio launched a reality show in a paid channel and showed how a planner, designer, architect, builders work - from meeting a client to a finished object — *Jeevaa design studio launched a reality show in a paid channel and showed how a planner, designer, architect, builders work – from meeting a client to a finished object*

What is the result

If there is no clear concept, test different content delivery options – in Paywall, you can add several channels and chats to one project. Authors earn different amounts. Our service has channels with an income of 50,000 rubles per month and 500,000 rubles per month – it depends on various factors. Different industries and different formats can be successful: a club, consultations, training.